Nipple-retaining ring assembly

ABSTRACT

In combination, a retaining ring and nipple ring assembly for application to a container, said retaining ring including a top, a skirt depending from the outer edge of the top having means for securing the retaining ring to the container, an inner wall depending from the inner edge of the top defining an opening through which the nipple engages, an outer wall depending from the top and spaced radially from the inner wall to define a circumferentially extending channel therebetween, means defining at least one cut in said outer wall, said nipple including a feeding tip at one end and an upstanding locking rib at its opposite end adapted to engage in said channel in the assembled relation, said locking rib and inner and outer walls of said retaining ring being so dimensioned to provide a first circumferentially extending passageway adjacent the lower edge of said inner wall and a second circumferentially extending passageway between said locking rib and the channel.

United States Patent Frazier [451 Mar. 21, 1972 [541 NIPPLE-RETAINING RING ASSEMBLY [72] Inventor: Thomas A. Frazier, Williamsport, Pa.

[73] Assignee: The West Company, Phoenixville, Pa.

[22] Filed: Feb. 18, 1970 21 Appl. No.: 12,292

[52] 0.8. CI ..l28/252, 215/11 [51] ..A6ljl1/00 [58] Field of Search ..l28/252;2l5/11,56

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,530,979 9/1970 Merrill et al. ..128/252 X 3,471,050 10/1969 Barr ..2l5/l'l 3,044,649 7/1962 Boston ..2l5/l1 3,286,864 11/1966 Patterson ..2lS/ll 3,335,890 8/1967 Grundmann et al. ..l28/252 X Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner.l. Yasko Attomey-I-lowson and Howson ABSTRACT In combination, a retaining ring and nipple ring assembly for application to a container, said retaining ring including a top, a skirt depending from the outer edge of the top having means for securing the retaining ring to the container, an inner wall depending from the inner edge of the top defining an opening through which the nipple engages, an outer wall depending from the top and spaced radially from the inner wall to define a circumferentially extending channel therebetween, means defining at least one cut in said outer wall, said nipple including a feeding tip at one end and an upstanding locking rib at its opposite end adapted to engage in said channel in the assembled relation, said locking rib and inner and outer walls of said retaining ring being so dimensioned to provide a first circum ferentially extending passageway adjacent the lower edge of said inner wall and a second circumferentially extending passageway between said locking rib and the channel.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMARZ] I972 3,650,270

SHEET 1 BF 2 mvcu'ron: THOMAS A. F'RAZ I ER ATTYS.

PATENTEDMARZT I972 3,650,270

' sum 2 BF 2 I N V E N T OI: THOMAS A. FRAZIER fivWaVffmadm AT TYS.

NIPPLE-RETAINING RING ASSEMBLY The present invention relates broadly to nipple-retaining ring assemblies and more particularly to improved means for venting a nipple-retaining ring assembly when it is applied to a container such as a bottle for liquid such as baby formula or the like.

The present invention relates broadly to nipple-retaining ring assemblies adapted to be mounted on the open end of a container for baby formula or milk. Conventionally, these assemblies comprise a retaining ring having internal screw threads which cooperate with screw threads on the neck of the container and means for securing the nipple to the retainer. These assemblies are usually provided with some type of vent means to permit ingress of air to the inside of the container as the contents of the container are withdrawn by the infant through the nipple.

These vent arrangements have included valve means in the nipple and combinations of vent holes and sealing ribs. However, these have not proven successful in terms of providing an effective seal against escape of liquid from the container during manipulation of the nipple to withdraw the contents and have not in all cases proven completely satisfactory in terms of permitting entrance of air to replace the liquid displaced by the infant. Moreover, arrangements discussed above were comparatively complicated and resulted in a high cost per unit assembly. The present invention provides a simple and effective venting arrangement for a nipple-retaining ring assembly which is completely effective in operation and is of a comparatively simplified design so that the cost of the assembly is very economical.

These and other objects of the present invention and the various features and details of the operation and construction thereof are hereinafter more fully set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein;

FIG. I is a sectional view of a nipple-retaining ring assembly applied to the open end ofa container;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the retaining ring of the assembly;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3a is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the lower locking portion ofa nipple.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view similar to the FIG. 3 section showing the configuration of the nipple at rest; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the configuration of the nipple when the contents of the container are being withdrawn through the nipple by an infant.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is illustrated a nipple-retaining ring assembly broadly designated by the numeral mounted on the open end of a container 12 which may be feeding bottle for an infant of conventional design. The bottle 12 as illustrated has a reduced neck portion 14 having spiral threads 16 on its exterior surface adjacent the open end which cooperate with the screw threads on the retaining ring for holding the nipple in place over the open end of the container. Of course, the retaining ring can be mounted on the bottle in other ways, for example a snap cap arrangement, rolled on or shrink film.

Considering now the specific structural details and arrangement of the nipple-retaining ring assembly in accordance with the present invention, the retaining ring 20 which may be made of rigid, plastic material has an annular top 21 and a generally cylindrical skirt portion 22 depending from the top having internal threads 24 formed therein to cooperate with the threads on the container so it may be assembled thereto in the manner illustrated. In the present instance, the top portion 21 has a circumferentially extending rib 28 depending from the inner face thereof spaced inwardly from the skirt 22 so that it engages the top of the container to provide an effective seal when the retaining ring is fully seated.

The retaining ring is provided with means for holding the nipple in a mounted position over the open end of the container. This means broadly designated by the numeral 30 includes an outer circumferentially extending depending wall 34 and an inner circumferentially extending depending wall 36 spaced from the outer wall to define a downwardly facing channel 38. In the present instance, the inner wall 36 is of a shallower depth than the outer wall 34 and the lower peripheral edge of the outer wall 34 is chamfered as at 40 at an angle of about 30 to a plane of the inner face of the outer wall to facilitate assembly of the nipple. Additionally, as best shown, for example in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inner face of the inner wall is upwardly divergent at an angle of about 2 and the outer faces of the inner and outer walls are likewise upwardly tapered in a similar manner 'at about 5 relative to an axially directed surface of revolution.

The nipple broadly designated by the numeral 50 is made of a flexible resilient material for example rubber and includes a generally cylindrical body portion 52, a spherical feeding tip 54 at one end of the body portion having the opening 56 therein permitting passage of fluid therethrough and an outwardly flared base portion 58. In the present instance the nipple has a locking rib 60 depending from the base portion which is adapted to seat in the channel 38 in the retaining ring in the assembled relation. This upstanding locking rib 60 is connected to the base portion by a short cylindrical extension 62 and a radial connecting wall 64. By this arrangement the locking rib 60 underlies the shoulder 66 defined by the peripheral bottom wall of the base.

As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the diametral dimension D1 of the outer wall of the locking rib 60 is greater than the diametral dimension D2 of the inner face of the outer wall of the retaining ring so that when the nipple is in the assembled relation there is a tight sealing relation between the confronting surfaces of the outer wall and locking rib 60. Further, the diametral dimension D3 of the outer surface of the cylindrical wall 62 is greater than the largest diametral dimension of the slightly tapered inner face of the inner wall 36 of the retaining ring. By this arrangement there is a snug pressure relationship between the nipple and retaining ring in the area X shown in FIG. 4. Further by this construction the inner circumferential wall 62 balloons slightly in the area Y which aids in venting the interior of the container in the manner described hereinafter. It is noted that the inner wall 36 of the retaining ring is of a predetermined height H in relation to the locking means of the nipple in the assembled relation to define a circumferentially extending passageway 63 between the lower terminal edge of the inner wall 36 and the short connecting bridge between the locking rib and cylindrical wall 62. More specifically the axial depth H of the inner wall 36 from the top face of the retaining ring is shorter than the difference between the depth L of the locking portion of the nipple between the shoulder 66 and lower end face 67 and the height L2 of the radial connecting wall 64, that is LL Further, in the assembled relation the upper peripheral edge of the locking rib 60 is spaced slightly below the upper wall between the inner and outer walls 34 and 36 to definev a circumferentially extending passageway 65 therebetween. More specifically the distance I-I between the lower terminal edge of the inner wall 36 and the surface between the walls is greater than the difference between the axial height L of the locking rib 60 and the height L of the radial connecting wall 64. (L -L The following are the typical dimensional relationships for a 40 mm. nipple assembly to provide the configuration and arrangement disclosed above:

L 0.229 in. 20.008

L-l 0.15s in.:o.00s

L-2 0.040 in. 1 0.008

D-4 0.720 in.

Another important feature of the present invention is the means for venting the interior of the container during normal operation when the infant is withdrawing the liquid contents from the container through the nipple. To this end the outer wall of the retaining ring is provided with an inverted V- shaped cutout 76 which is preferably of an inclined angle of about 45 and extends the complete depth of the outer wall 34, the apex of the cutout 76 being disposed adjacent the inner surface of the top wall of the retaining ring. By the arrangement described above, when the bottle is not in use, there is a tight sealing relation between the nipple and retaining ring in the areas X and 2 as illustrated in FIG. 4 to insure against leakage of any of the fluid in the container. In this regard it is noted that when the retaining ring is fully seated on the container, the circumferential rib 28 presses firmly against the top of the container to prevent any leakage at this juncture. Now when the infant withdraws fluid through the nipple there is a slight vacuum created in the container by reason of the fluid displaced and the nipple is by action of the infant compressed so that the shoulder 66 unseats itself slightly from the top of the retaining ring to permit air to enter in the passageway 80 as illustrated in FIG. 5. When a vacuum in the container reaches a predetermined level, the differential pressure combined with the manipulation of the nipple by the infant causes displacement of the nipple in the manner shown in FIG. 5 to form a tortuos or convoluted path for air. More specifically air enters the container as indicated by the arrows through a passageway 80, bypasses the lower portion of the inner wall, flows circumferentially in the channel 65 and through the cutout 76 into the interior of the container. It is noted that this arrangement does not permit escape of liquid since the rib and wall arrangement on the retainer act as sort of a one way valve permitting the air to enter the container and preventing escape of liquid. In other words, pressure inside the bottle tends to seat the nipple more tightly whereas a vacuum allows it to unseat more easily. Further, it is noted that the convoluted path between the locking portion of the nipple and the inner and outer wall arrangement of the retaining ring prevents escape of liquid while permitting ingress of air. More specifically in the case of liquid, the surface tension prevents escape of liquid through the convoluted path whereas since there is no surface tension with air, flow through the convoluted path does not present a barrier.

By reason of the configuration of the locking rib 60 of the nipple in relation to the inner and outer wall arrangement of the retaining ring, the nipple may be assembled to the retaining ring easily and quickly. For example, the nipple is assembled to the retaining ring simply by feeding the tip 54 through the central opening defined by the inner wall of the retaining ring from inwardly of the retaining ring. The nipple is then advanced to a position where the tapered portion engages the peripheral edge of the inner wall thereby to compress the same and pivot the nipple to a position where it snaps into the channel 38. When the nipple is pulled to the fully seated position. the shoulder adjacent the base snugly embraces the top of the retaining ring and the bead is firmly seated in the channel 38. Even though the nipple is easy to assemble in the manner described above, it has been found that the configuration of the locking means is such that a normal infant can not pull the nipple completely through the retaining ring.

What is claimed is:

I. In combination, a retaining ring and nipple ring assembly for application to a container, said retaining ring including a top, a skirt depending from the outer edge of the top having means for securing the retaining ring to the container, an inner wall depending from the inner edge of the top defining an opening through which the nipple engages, an outer wall depending from the top and spaced radially from the inner wall to define a circumferentially extending channel therebetween, means defining at least one cutout in said outer wall, said nipple including a feeding tip at one end and an upstanding locking rib at its opposite end engaging in said channel in the assembled r elati on the diametral dimension of the outer wall of said locking rib being greater than the diametral dimension of the inner face of the outer wall of said retaining ring, said locking rib and inner and outer walls of said retaining ring being so dimensioned to provide a first passageway adjacent the lower edge of said inner wall and a second circumferentially extending passageway between said locking rib and the channel, said cutout in said outer wall extending from the lower edge of the outer wall upwardly to a point of communicating with said second circumferentially extending passageway.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cutout is of an inverted V-shaped configuration extending to the lower edge of said outer wall and preferably of an included angle of about 45.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inner wall of said retaining ring is of shorter axial depth than the outer wall.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 including a circumferentially extending rib depending from the inner face of the top portion and spaced inwardly from said skirt so that it engages the top of the container to provide an effective seal when the retaining ring is fully seated.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 10 including cooperating screw thread means on the inner wall of said skirt and the outer wall of said container adjacent the opening therein.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said locking rib is connected to the base of the nipple by a cylindrical extension and a short radial connecting wall.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 wherein the diametral dimension of the outer surface of the cylindrical extension of said nipple is greater than the largest diametral dimension of the inner face of the inner wall of said retaining ring.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 6 wherein the axial depth from the upper face of the top of the retaining ring to the lower edge of the inner wall is shorter than the difference between the axial projection of the locking portion from the base of the nipple and the axial height of the radial connecting wall.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECT-ION Patent No. 3,650,270 Dated March 21, 1972 Inventor(s) Thomas A. Frazier It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 6; "inclined" should read --included-- Column 4, line 39; "claim 10" should read -claim 1-- Signed and sealed this lL th day of November 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. In combination, a retaining ring and nipple ring assembly for application to a container, said retaining ring including a top, a skirt depending from the outer edge of the top having means for securing the retaining ring to the container, an inner wall depending from the inner edge of the top defining an opening through which the nipple engages, an outer wall depending from the top and spaced radially from the inner wall to define a circumferentially extending channel therebetween, means defining at least one cutout in said outer wall, said nipple including a feeding tip at one end and an upstanding locking rib at its opposite end engaging in said channel in the assembled relation, the diametral dimension of the outer wall of said locking rib being greater than the diametral dimension of the inner face of the outer wall of said retaining ring, said locking rib and inner and outer walls of said retaining ring being so dimensioned to provide a first passageway adjacent the lower edge of said inner wall and a second circumferentially extending passageway between said locking rib and the channel, said cutout in said outer wall extending from the lower edge of the outer wall upwardly to a point of communicating with said second circumferentially extending passageway.
 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cutout is of an inverted V-shaped configuration extending to the lower edge of said outer wall and preferably of an included angle of about 45*.
 3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inner wall of said retaining ring is of shorter axial depth than the outer wall.
 4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 including a circumferentially extending rib depending from the inner face of the top portion and spaced inwardly from said skirt so that it engages the top of the container to provide an effective seal when the retaining ring is fully seated.
 5. The combination as claimed in claim 10 including cooperating screw thread means on the inner wall of said skirt and the outer wall of said container adjacent the opening therein.
 6. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said locking rib is connected to the base of the nipple by a cylindrical extension and a short radial connecting wall.
 7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 wherein the diametral dimension of the outer surface of the cylindrical extension of said nipple is greater than the largest diametral dimension of the inner face of the inner wall of said retaining ring.
 8. The combination as claimed in claim 6 wherein The axial depth from the upper face of the top of the retaining ring to the lower edge of the inner wall is shorter than the difference between the axial projection of the locking portion from the base of the nipple and the axial height of the radial connecting wall. 